Oscar Nominations Announced

 Oscar News

It’s that time of year again: Oscar season. Speculation and predictions increased in the last few weeks, as film critics and moviegoers tried to guess which films would be nominated for Hollywood’s most prestigious award show. Nominations for the 86th Academy Awards were announced this morning, and the results were fairly similar to the Golden Globes ceremony that took place a few days ago.

Not surprisingly, after all the results were tallied, Gravity and American Hustle received the most Oscar nods (10 apiece.) 12 Years a Slave trailed them with 9 nominations. In a ceremony earlier this morning, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, revealed the nominees alongside actor Chris Hemsworth. (For an analysis of the nominations, check out ABC's link.) There were 9 nominees for Best Picture, thanks to the 2011 rule change that permits up to 10 films to be nominated for the award. They were: American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

The stars and directors voiced their appreciation and excitement over the nominations. Steve McQueen, director of 12 Years a Slave, stated, “I’m extraordinarily happy for all the cast and crew of our 12 Years a Slave family.  This has been an amazing ride, and to receive nine nominations from the Academy is testament to all of the hard work.” Alfonso Cuarón, who directed Gravity, added, “These nominations are not just about single achievements, but rather the collective effort of hundreds of dedicated artists who made this dream a reality. On behalf of everyone involved with Gravity I want to express our deepest gratitude to the industry, the exhibitors and the public for embracing this film so passionately. A special thank you to our friends and collaborators at Warner Bros. for staying on board this journey for more than four years. I am particularly moved by Sandy’s nomination. She is the heartbeat of our film. She immersed herself in the part. And I thank her for her grace, her trust and her dedication to finding the truth of this character.”

Although most of the nominations were expected, Entertainment Weekly noted that there had been some noticeable snubs—notably Tom Hanks for “Captain Phillips” and Emma Thompson for “Saving Mr. Banks.” Additionally, the wildly popular documentary “Blackfish,” which explores the treatment of killer whales at SeaWorld, was noticeably absent from the mix. There were no notable surprises in terms of films that were included, though.

The Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 2, on ABC. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres is hosting the event. Speculations will continue to rise in the upcoming weeks as critics and moviegoers again discuss and debate who they think should receive this prestigious awards. Until we find out who the winners are, though, we’ll just have to content ourselves with considering the merits of each (and watching all the films we haven’t seen yet.) For a complete list of the nominees, check out this link posted by TIME magazine.

About

Ivy McDowell blogs about fashion and entertainment.

Tweet